Hope you all had a great Thanksgiving! With some extra time off for Thanksgiving week you some me time. What will you do?

Skin care has been a recent priority with the weather changing and it’s been a focus of self-care which helps me unwind and relax. Recently, part of my skincare routine, I have been adding masking to my routine, 3 times a week! There are many types of masks on the market, so it’s overwhelming, however I’m sharing my current favourites.

So which mask is right for you?

Problem areas on your skin – oily, dry, dull, hydration etc.

Green beauty?

Do you have any allergic reactions or is your skin more sensitive to some ingredients?

Some masks that I have been trying that I love!

Fresh Rose Mask – Amazing, light rose scent, has extracts of cucumber and rose. Very hydrating and brightening for the skin. Really extracts all the dirt of your face

L’Oreal Paris Detox & Brighten Pure Clay Mask – There are four different masks for different problem areas. I have been using the Charcoal mask to brighten and detox my skin – A thin layer on the face should pull blackheads and pull the dirt from your face. I liked it though I did feel a little tingling.

I’m new to masking, and multi-masking (…wait, what’s that?!). Multi-masking is applying different masks to different parts of your face depending on your skin needs! Fun for a girls night or just some self-care time! I look forward to sharing more masks with you and recommending my favourites.

My review on Fenty beauty is finally here! It took me some time because before I write about a product or use a make-up product, because I really want to make sure I love it! Firstly, the Fenty Beauty line had a frenzy around it because it’s Rihanna! But I also wanted to try this line because the foundation is made without parabens and phthalates – something that has been really important to me when I purchase make-up products.

I purchased the Fenty Foundation and the lip gloss online at Sephora, and I loved both products, although the foundation colour I initially chose wasn’t the best match for my skin tone. I typically don’t buy foundation online, but mom life doesn’t always let me to go for leisurely make-up expeditions!

Initially, I bought the Fenty Foundation in the colour 330 (Warm), which I thought was little too yellow for my skin. After wearing it for a few hours, it still looked a little yellow. After getting matched properly, which I’m glad I did, I ended up with shade 300 (Neutral) – I am an NC42 at MAC. I have been wearing the Soft Matte Longwear Foundation a few times now and each time I do, I love it even more! It is high coverage, blends into my skin, feels like it’s my own skin and doesn’t feel heavy. The foundation has a pump, and I’m a sucker for this because it’s so easy to control how much product you are using. Only using one pump, I’m able to have full coverage and an even skin tone!

Now to the lip gloss, the Gloss Bomb (it really is) is so amazing! I wear it alone or as a lip topper. Firstly, the lip gloss smells sooooo good – a sweet and light smell. The colour is supposed to suit every skin tone, even if its a light everyday colour. If I wear it alone, the colour is a golden sheen with a hint of sparkles. As a lip topper on a red, burgundy colour, the Gloss Bomb gives it a warmer golden look. I highly recommend this gloss, I wear it daily and I love the look because my make-up look is still natural.

I haven’t tried the Killawatt highlighters yet, even though I know that all the beauty bloggers are raving about the popular Trophy Wife. There are a few other gorgeous highlighters that that I intend to try, in addition to the holiday collection, which I hope to review soon.

I heard about the the brand Glossier and after some research, I decide to buy their sunscreen. The selling point for me is that the formulation is clear (no white streaks!! Yeah!). After using it, I was blown away! It’s better than advertised!

The bottle is a pump, which is super convenient, so the sunscreen’s not ooozing all over the place. You can control how much you want to apply!

No white film post application – Brown girl wins!

It applies like a serum so it penetrates into your skin – oooh, ahhh!

It has a slight lemon smell – mmmm (I love!)

Recently skincare has been my focus, so I have been looking to do something about my brows. My brows look like 90’s thin brows, which have been over threaded throughout the years. So Glossier also solves this problem! I bought the Boy Brow which is their super unique eyebrow product. I typically use my Brow Wiz but I sometimes find that my eyebrows look like Nike Swooshes! Since I want my face to have a natural look, the Glossier Boy Brow does just that! The applicator is a mini mascara wand, so it’s easy to apply without harsh lines. When you apply the Boy Brow, you are essentially combing your eyebrows, with light strokes. The result: Soft natural filled in brows vs. hard dark Nike Swooshes.

One other thing that I really like is the packaging. I wish I had taken pictures when I opened my box, but there was stickers and inside the box, a message saying: “Skin first, make-up second, smile always”. That was super adorable and I loved the stickers (how fun!). Also the Invisible Shield and the Boy Brow come in a cute clear pink zip pouch! The packaging is simple, and practical. After using my Glossier products for over a month, I can say that I really like their products and glad I found them!

Another long weekend is here celebrating Canada Day in the U.S, but this long weekend is super special! It’s Canada’s 150th birthday, O’CANADA! Miss you Canada and thank you for being so awesome! It has been fun living in California (no icy roads to drive on – phew!), but there are many things that I miss about my home, Toronto, especially FOOD! WARNING: You may feel really hungry after reading this post!! Cravings eh?

TIM HORTONS: I crave and miss everything about Timmies!! Drive through coffee, timbits, apple fritter, bagels, honey cruller, ICE CAP…the list could go on. In all seriousness, when I’m driving with the babes all I really need is a drive through to pick up a “double double” or an “ice cap” (especially in the heat), and a sugary snack. Ahhhh….

Poutine! This simple Quebec dish is deeply missed! Love my New York Fries poutine so much! Mmmmm. Luckily, there is a Smoke’s Poutinerie in Berkeley., and the hour and a half drive is definitely worth it.

Ketchup Chips! Not sure why this isn’t in the States, but once in a while you need to eat some ketchup chips. Thought All Dressed chips are a Canadian flavour and found them here!

Maternity Leave! Missed that 12 months of time off with the babes. I did take it here, but only after many struggles and after she was already out of daycare at 9 months…(sigh)…could be another post for this.

Snow! I don’t miss driving in the snow, but during the holidays, snow is magical! I’ve seen skating here in California, but it’s funny to see people skate in shorts vs. winter coats, hats and mittens lol.

Okay so the last two items were not food related, but you know it’s not always just about the food. Canada, you are AMAZING. I feel blessed that I have the opportunity to celebrate Canada Day and the 4th of July (mainly for my babes) during this special long weekend. It is bitter sweet not to be home during this holiday, but the Cali heat warms my heart – Cali love.

I am always on the lookout for different concealers, it’s a staple product in my make-up routine because I have naturally dark circles. I love the Tarte brand, there products are made without paraben and phthalates. I went to my local Ulta and tried a few shades of the Tarte, Shape Tape Concealer.

After trying it out a few times, I can say that this is definitely one my new favourite products thus far! It has a creamy, liquid, high-pigmented formula, which brightens my eyes. It’s creamy because it’s thick and has high coverage. It’s also a liquid because it glides on effortlessley. The peachy undertone cancels the grey under my eyes, so I don’t even have to wear my corrector (win!). For a momma on the go, one less step to my make-up routine saves me time!

I like the wand applicator because it is sturdy and wide. I haven’t seen a wand this big and sturdy, but I do appreciate it because it quickens my applicaiton process, (again another win!). There’s enough product to swipe under both eyes without having to go back in for more product. I try to dot on the concealer because one swipe is more than enough product. I have seen a few YouTubers creating nacho shaped triangles under their eyes (hehe), but that’s not something I need on a daily basis or even when I go out. Basically a little goes a long way!

One thing to look out for is the the finish. This concealer is drying so if you have oiler skin, which I tend to have in the summer, it’s perfect. Luckily, the formulation does not dry and crease into my skin, as I have heard it does to others.

Picking the shade: both Tan and Tan Sand were good matches for my skin colour. Since the concealer has a peachy undertone, it covers my skin colour well, however it does oxidize. Tan Sand blends into my skin and is more orange on my skin vs. Tan, which brightens my eyes. Since I wanted to open up my tired eyes, I went with Tan. Hopefully this helps you narrow down your options, if you are close to my skin complexion.

I hope this review helps you picking out a medium to heavy coverage concealer. I love the Tarte Shape Tape Concealer and hope you love it too!

We wanted to get away for our upcoming vacation, and decided to do nothing at all! For our first beach vacation with Saanvi, we went to Mexico. We went to Puerto Vallarta, which was a first time for us. The weather was hot and humid, some days a little breezy, which was a relief from the heat. I didn’t mind the heat as long as we lounged by the pool and the beach.

Saanvi had a wonderful time relaxing, and I think she really loved the beach. She listened to the waves and felt calm. Her teething didn’t seem to bother her at all (molars coming in)! She also loved reading my Glamour & Health magazines by the pool LOL! It was a wonderful and relaxing trip!

Some tips and shopping items necessary for a beach vacation:

Consulting with her pediatrician was on the top of my list because I wanted to make sure her vaccinations were up to date. Also, I wanted advice on eating habits etc. Besides suncreen and Off, here are some fun things I prepared for the trip.

SHOPPING!

Shopping for the trip was lots of fun finding new bathing suits and summer clothes. Although it was hot, I wanted to make sure she was dressed light and covered in the pool so her soft skin wouldn’t burn.

I bought a wide brimmed hat for her to wear in the pool and during the rest of the trip. Purchased this hat: SwimZip Hat in white so it would match everything and keep her cool. What I love about this hat is that it’s adjustable so as she grows, the hat will continue to fit her.

On to bathing suits!! So she had better and cuter bathing suits than I did, but that’s okay because she’s my star! One thing that about bathing suit shopping was that I found ADORABLE two piece bathing suits, but I found them super IMPRACTICAL! Okay enough of the caps! But really, even with sunscreen, the most important thing on these trips is to protect your skin! So….I found some cute rash guard bathing suits from Target – Cat & Jack! I love this brand BTW. Also, Gymboree had the most adorable rash guard sets with frilly bums! These looked super adorable on her diaper bum!

An accessory to bathing suits, which I love (discovered this when we went to Vegas) is a bathing cover-up! I found a cover-up at Gymboree that had a hood and was fairly long. After a dip in the pool the cover-up dried her off and protected her skin from the sun. Saanvi could hang out by the pool in the cover-up before her next pool session.

Something I found after reading other mom blogs was water shoes! It was a good idea I brought these because the shoes came in handy when she was walking around the pool area and in the kid pool. I would highly recommend these for not only the pool, but the beach as well.

I hope these packing tips help you plan for your little one’s summer vacation!

Travelling with your baby is important to build long lasting memories, connecting with your child in a different way than you do on a daily basis. Taking your child out of their regular routine is important for them to adapt to a new environment and for them to learn new cultures. Continue reading “Baby Travels”→